People attend a memorial ceremony on Sunday at Sergels Torg Plaza in Stockholm, close to the point where a truck drove into a department store two days before (AFP photo)

STOCKHOLM — Huge crowds gathered in Stockholm for a "Lovefest" vigil against terrorism on Sunday, two days after a truck attack that police believe was committed by an Uzbek interested in extremist groups.

Stockholm city officials said more than 20,000 people took part in the vigil, organised after a driver mowed down shoppers in a stolen truck before slamming into the facade of the bustling Ahlens department store on Friday afternoon.

The motive was not known, but the method resembled previous attacks using vehicles in Nice, Berlin and London, all of them claimed by the Daesh terror group.

The suspected driver, arrested hours after the attack, has been identified only as a 39-year-old man from Uzbekistan who had shown interest in extremist groups and who was facing deportation after his residency permit application was denied, police said.

A second suspect has also been formally placed under arrest over the attack, Stockholm district court judge Helga Hullman said on Sunday, revealing no information about his link to the Uzbek.

Friday's attack has deeply shocked the usually tranquil Scandinavian nation, which prides itself on its openness and tolerance.

"It's very important to stay strong together against anything that wants to change our society, which is based on democracy," said one participant in the vigil who gave her name only as Marianne, attending with her elderly mother.

"We talk, we don't fight," she told AFP as she joined the crowds thronging the Sergels Torg Plaza, a stone's throw from the scene of the attack.

One woman offered flowers to police officers guarding the plaza. "Thank you," she said with a smile.

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